This might be the year that all your planning has gone out the window. Your head is still trying to come to terms with the fact that it is no longer October and actually there we are only a couple of shopping days away from Christmas! Not to worry, it happens to the best of us. That is why we have you covered. Not only can you still order Christmas presents until the 23rd, we have also found a delicious Black Tea Christmas cake recipe that needs only one night of soaking. So if you get started with that right away, you will have something tasty to serve your guests come Christmas Day. Oh, and did we mention that  you can make it without sugar and butter making it a guilt free Christmas treat!

Last Minute Black Tea Christmas Cake:
Based on a Barm Brack Irish Tea Bread recipe.

TO SOAK:
1 ½ kg mixed cake fruit
1 litre apricot fruit
1 cup of black tea or whisky
1/2 cup brown sugar (for the diet version you can leave out the sugar)

FOR THE CAKE:
3 lightly beaten eggs
½ cup melted butter  (for the diet version you can leave out the butter)
500 ml flour
3 tps. Baking powder
3 – 4 tps mixed spice

OVERNIGHT SOAK:
Soak 1 ½ kg mixed cake fruit (add all your favourite fruit raisins sultanas etc. cherries and nuts such as pecans, candied peel, even chopped dates make a delicious cake!)  in 1 litre apricot fruit  juice and 1 cup of black tea or whisky and add 1/2 cup brown sugar. If it isn’t covered add a bit of water (or more whisky!)

NEXT DAY:
Heat the oven to 160˚ Grease a large square baking tin and line it with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
Stir in 3 lightly beaten eggs
And ½ cup melted butter
To 500 ml flour add 3 tps. Baking powder
3 – 4 tps mixed spice
Add the dry ingredients slowly to the fruit and egg mixture.

It mustn’t be runny, if it is, add more flour bit by bit; it should be a soft sticky batter. Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 ½ – 1 ¾ hours then test with a skewer for doneness. While it is still hot, drizzle honey over the top. Cool it slightly and remove it from the tin to cool properly on a wire rack.

Leave out the sugar and butter and it becomes a ‘diet’ cake. The fruit and fruit juice give it enough sweetness for most palates. It will dry out very quickly however but it is very tasty and you’ll find yourself making more before Christmas. If you have any left it freezes well so you can just defrost some when you have guests for tea.

Recipe created by Elaine Young